Chapter 73
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73
Professor Martelzier ordered us to form groups of four and take our seats.
At her command, the students began to buzz, pairing up and flocking together to form their circles.
"Hey, wanna team up?"
"Sure. What about Jessie? Jessie, come over here."
"Let's just stick together."
In an instant, the classroom was a whirlwind of activity as groups solidified. I scowled as I watched the scene unfold.
…I hate group projects more than anything.
I doubt many people actually enjoy them, but I especially despise this kind of multiplayer activity. Even back when I was a top-ranked player in various games, I avoided joining clans or guilds unless it was absolutely necessary.
It wasn't so bad if you had friends or acquaintances, but things rarely went that smoothly. I was looking around with a sour expression when it happened.
"Ah, Roen, there you are. Let's be in a group together."
Through the marketplace-like din, a girl wove through the crowd and approached me. For some reason, she reminded me of a rabbit. It was Bell Ludwig.
I was so touched by her sincerity—going out of her way to find me and ask me to join her—that I was almost moved to tears. I gladly accepted her offer.
"Sounds good. But we're still two people short."
"I already brought two others. Pretty smart of me, right?"
Two familiar faces appeared from behind Bell, who was smiling gently. Of course, those two were Beatrice and Yulina. However, their expressions upon being grouped with me were less than thrilled.
Beatrice shot me a glare before gesturing toward a table at the front, silently signaling that we should just go sit down.
"Alright."
And so, the four of us—a strange combination indeed—headed to a table near Martelzier and sat facing each other. It was a little uncomfortable not being in my usual back-row seat, but I couldn't complain.
Not only had I successfully found a group, but I had teamed up with some incredible powerhouses. With three top students, I could just coast and still get an above-average grade. I had nothing to fear from any assignment or lab.
"Alright, first, I'll be announcing the scores from our last pop quiz~"
Snap—
When Martelzier snapped her fingers, the names and scores of over a hundred students appeared on the screen at the front of the lab, ranked in order. At the very top left, the name in first place was, unsurprisingly, Beatrice.
It looked like she hadn't missed a single question; a perfect score. Beatrice glanced at the rankings, then looked away as if it were only natural.
Yulina was 5th. Considering there were over a hundred students in this class, that was an incredibly high rank. Even with the strictest grading curve, it was well within the A-grade range.
Bell was right after Yulina in 6th place. As expected of someone who got into the Union on a scholarship, her written test scores were excellent.
After checking my three group members' ranks, I scanned the list from the top, looking for my own name. Just then, Yulina chided me from the side.
"Hmph, wouldn't it be faster to start from the bottom?"
"..."
Instead of replying, I continued scanning the list and soon found my name.
35th. Roen Devalis. 79 points.
79 points. Not a bad score. No, considering the original Roen's grades, you could even say it was exceptionally high. His scores were usually in the single digits, after all.
Yulina, sitting across from me, saw my score and her expression hardened in surprise.
"...Your score really did go up. That test was incredibly difficult. Did you... cheat behind my back?"
"If I was going to do that, I would have just taken the note you offered me."
"!"
At the mention of the note, Yulina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth and her eyes widening.
"Shh!"
"Shh? What do you mean, 'shh'? I should tell Beatrice about your little crime."
The idea that Eredor's chief administrator encouraged a student to cheat...
"What are you two talking about?"
When Beatrice showed interest, Yulina jumped and waved her hands frantically.
"Ah, it's nothing, Your Highness!"
"Nothing? It's a serious matter. The truth is, during the last pop quiz, Yulina tried to get me to—"
"Aah!"
Yulina shot to her feet and let out a scream loud enough to drown out my voice. The classroom fell silent at the sudden shriek. Professor Martelzier looked at Yulina with a concerned expression.
"Miss Yulina? Are you feeling alright, dear?"
"Ah, no. I'm fine, Professor."
"From now on, please be quiet during class time~"
"Yes, yes..."
Yulina sat back down, her face bright red. To think she'd endure such humiliation just to shut me up. Her dedication was so admirable that I decided not to mention the cheating incident again.
With that much effort, I have to give her credit.
Of course, I still had to endure Yulina's hostile glare.
"Damn you..."
Her growling at me was like watching an angry cat.
After the scores were reviewed, Martelzier gave instructions for the main magic experiment.
"Alrighty~ Now that the pop quiz is over, let's take a little break and proceed with a simple experiment for today's class~"
She calls this a break, but it's a group project.
Contrary to her appearance as a kind-looking old woman, she was a devil of a professor.
"Miss Wayne, please come to the front~"
At Martelzier's words, Assistant Professor Wayne came forward with a crystal orb and placed it on the table.
"Miss Wayne will give you the detailed explanation~ Everyone, pay attention!"
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Wayne Eris, the assistant professor for Intermediate Magic Theory."
The cold-looking woman introduced herself and immediately began her explanation.
"As you all know, the execution of any magic requires a precise calculation process, the appropriate manifestation of magic power, and the delicate control to release and regulate it. The faster and more accurately one can perform this process, the more skilled a mage they are considered to be."
Whirrr—
Wayne closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate, then drew a magic circle in the air and cast Chain Lightning. A moment later, a chaotic current of electricity whipped around above her hand.
Pzzzt—
The vibration of her mana rippled through the air, prickling my skin. Any half-decent monster would be burned to a crisp just by touching that chain of lightning.
Phat—
Wayne retrieved her mana, dispelling the spell.
"However, performing this process every single time is inefficient. It becomes even more difficult to use precise magic if you enter combat or find yourself in a situation where you need to cast a spell urgently. Therefore, most mages use Memorize to 'remember' spells in advance, so they can be used at any time."
Pang—
This time, with no preparation at all, she instantly extended her hand and cast Lightning Sword, a higher-tier spell than Chain Lightning. A sword of lightning formed in her hand.
Pzzzzzt—
It radiated electricity even more fiercely than the Chain Lightning, making the fine hairs all over my body stand on end. The students nodded at Wayne's explanation; it was all familiar information.
A spell that has already been 'remembered' can be cast instantly just by consuming mana, without any prior calculation or preparation. After finishing her demonstration, she continued.
"Of course, Memorized spells are generally reset after a deep sleep, and they have the disadvantage of requiring the user to repeat the memorization process daily for immediate use. What compensates for that disadvantage is this very magic crystal orb."
The magic crystal orb glowed beneath her hand. It was a similar type to the one I used to have, though its properties were vastly different since this one was for a class exercise.
"Using an external storage medium like this allows you to adjust the number, tier, and duration of the spells you can remember, depending on the orb's grade."
I'd already broken the orb I used before. The magic gauntlet I currently have from Millia can store five low-tier spells. The storage duration, as I recall, is one year.
"The grade of the orb is determined by the grade of the raw mana stone used to process the artifact. Naturally, more expensive and higher-quality orbs can store more high-powered spells for longer periods. Storing intermediate-tier magic or higher requires an artifact of astronomical cost. And that brings us to the problem."
Float—
As Wayne spoke, Professor Martelzier sent the crystal orbs she had gathered to each of the group tables, one by one. The telekinetically controlled orbs gently landed on each table in turn.
"The orbs we have just distributed are models, closer to raw mana stones that have not undergone any special processing. We will award points to the group that processes this orb to achieve the highest storage efficiency."
At that, one of the students raised their hand.
"Um, Assistant Professor Wayne? We don't know how to process crystal orbs..."
The other students seemed to feel the same, looking at Wayne and Martelzier with bewildered eyes. That was right. It might be possible for students from Meister Academy, who specialize in processing magic tools and technological development, but for the students of Eredor, who study pure magic, it was a virtually impossible task.
It was like suddenly asking a pure mathematician to perform high-level programming.
Assistant Professor Wayne just shrugged. "Do not worry. All the necessary auxiliary tools have been prepared. Please open the drawer beneath your table."
Creeak—
Opening the drawer revealed an assortment of colorful gems. Each of these lab-use gems was engraved with a word symbolizing one of the various elements needed for processing the crystal orb.
[Enhance] [Increase] [Ascend]
[Harmony] [Imbue] [Amplify]
[Chaos] [Descend] [Decrease]
[Remove]
Wayne continued.
"All you have to do is appropriately combine and arrange the concepts contained within these processing gems and imbue them into the crystal orb. Of course, if you have the ability, you are welcome to use your own processing magic without using these gems."
I see.
From Wayne's words and the elements we were given, I grasped the true nature of this exercise. This Intermediate Magic Theory class was, after all, a 'theory' class, not a practical one. Even though it was called magic tool processing, we didn't need to use actual magic to do it.
The framing of 'magic tool processing' was merely window dressing. The essence of this lab was to see if we could produce the best result through magical logic and thinking within the given constraints.
Professor Martelzier added, "You don't need to worry about the orb exploding or the magic running wild during processing~ The orbs distributed to each table are more like holographic models manifested from magic power, not actual physical objects. If they're overloaded, they'll just turn to sand and disappear~"
She smiled as she looked at the clock on the lab wall.
"You'll need a bit of creativity to combine the elements and get the best result~ The time limit is one hour. The groups with the highest efficiency will get the highest scores~ Now, begin~!"